Karl Blossfeldt
Karl Blossfeldt was a German Photographer inspired by nature and the way in which plants grow. Blossfeldt made many of his photographs with a homemade camera that could magnify the subject up to thirty times its size and his works are held in the collections of Orsay Museum in Paris, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC and others. Karl was born on June 13, 1865 and died on December 9, 1932.
I like this photograph because it clearly shows the rule of thirds in use as the large flower is centered with the smaller ones on either side. Also, the light reflecting on the smaller flowers allows the viewer to see more detail on it. Additionally, the photograph is in full focus to show maximum detail.
Like the previous photograph, this image is in full focus to show maximum detail. Also, the composition and high zoom highlights the detail on the pine cone. Furthermore, the black and white tone and lack of colour helps to make the detail stand out.
Billy Kidd
Billy Kidd is a self taught photographer born in Panama City in 1980. The desert shaped his way of seeing light and color. He took a series of photographs of decaying flowers. The flowers are in the natural process of dying, therefore each flower is at a different stage. I have chosen Kidd because I like how he often uses a completely blacked out background as it makes the subject of the photo stand out.
This Photo by Billy Kidd is one of my favourites because the colour of the flower contrasts really well with the caliginous background, catching the eye of the viewer. Also it shows the flower in a thriving state where as his other work shows the plants closer to death. In Addition, the position of the flower in middle of the frame gives the photograph a professional feeling.
I think this picture by Billy Kidd is very interesting as it captures the plant on the verge of death. It has started to lose it's colour and the POV/Composition of the picture allows the viewer to see the majority of the plant and how it looks as it comes close to decease. Also, the low exposure and dark background highlight the flower really well.
Henry Troup
Henry Troup is a photographer, born in Pennsylvania, who focuses on the intricate details of natural surfaces, often using sand, showing the patterns created in the sand by water and wind.
This picture is very interesting as the tone and texture of the sand changes throughout the photo. On the right side of the photo the sand looks smooth and light and towards the left the sand becomes darker and the texture becomes rougher and almost like gravel. I like how Troup has used the sand's tone as a gradient as it makes the viewer look at the whole photo rather than just the main subject, as there isn't really a main subject in this photo
This picture shows a Scorpion and shows how it has changed the pattern of the sand. I like this picture because the high zoom makes the small figure of the scorpion look big. Additionally, the arachnid is positioned in the center of the photo to make it stand out. Furthermore, around and on top of the scorpion the detail and patterns of the sand are clear so it fits in well with the project.
SHOOT 1 - Inspired by Karl Blossfeldt
For my first shoot i am going to take black and white photographs of natural objects such as shells, ferns, pine cones and dried flowers. I will take them in black and white as i think this will show more detail then colour. I want to have the objects arranged individually to fit with the style of Karl Blossfeldt. I will also take into consideration the composition of the object, i will take some close up and some so that some of the background can be seen.
Once i have a good range of images i will edit some of them to make them look older or worn.
Once i have a good range of images i will edit some of them to make them look older or worn.
My Best Photo
I think this is my best photo as the focus and composition are very good. Also, the monochromatic filter makes the detail on the pine cones stand out. In addition, I like the way in which I positioned the pine cones as it allows the majority of the detail to be showed on each of them.
My Worst Photo
I think this is my worst photo as I couldn't get the detail of the shell to show clearly. Furthermore, the monochromatic filter removes the feeling of life from the shell as it makes it colourless. Also, the lack of a structured background stands out and takes focus off the shell.
SHOOT 2
For this shoot I wanted to capture photos of flowers using the dark background style as Billy Kidd. However the flower I am using is not as close to decease as those that he used but I think it will still work well and the detail will stand out.
Best Photo
I think this photo really captures the detail on the rose as the low depth of field, close POV and dark background make it the most prominent part of the photo. Also the focus is pretty much perfect. However I feel as though, through some editing I can make this photo even better.
Worst Photo
I think this is my worst photo because the focus is not very good. Also, I don't like how other flowers of the rose takes view away from the subject of the photo.
Editing Process
Final Piece
Firstly, I took one of my favourite photos from the bunch and opened it in photo-plus. I chose this photo as the composition with the flower in the center follows the style of Billy Kidd.To start, I duplicated the rose several times. With the duplications I added an overlay filter and moved them around the original flower to form a creative, darker background. When I was happy with the background I increased the vibrancy on the flower to make it stand out above the rest of the photo. I think this went well as you can really see the detail on the flower and the background adds a sense of creativity to the photo.